


Anon's Gameindustri Adventure 5. A Black Meeting

by GlassArmour



Category: Hyperdimension Neptunia
Genre: Gen, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-04
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-05-04 22:39:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5351021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlassArmour/pseuds/GlassArmour





	Anon's Gameindustri Adventure 5. A Black Meeting

I'm not quite sure what my expectations of a Planeptune shopping centre were, but they've been met, and then surpassed. There were entire floors dedicated to different industries. Compa had a surprisingly good eye for fashion; in no time I had plenty of clothes and outfits for just about any occasion. Neptune's fashion sense however, was a little different. First she had me try a leather jacket and a cap with a brim that seemed to defy space and time with its length. While it did make me want to punch stuff, it certainly didn't fit my build or personality. Next came a red shirt and black trousers combo that just made me feel like my death was fast approaching.

 

            Next we went into a small gadget shop called "Hammerspaces 'R' Us". We bought what seemed like an ordinary watch. It had brushed steel arms and the face was a dark blue with silver Roman numerals and hands under the glass cover.

"This is the new iStore 4 model from Lastation;" The young clerk explained to me. She was rather sort, with long chestnut-coloured hair and red eyes. "When you have the watch on, imagine putting what you want to store into a bag, and let go of it. Then if you want to get something out of the hammerspace, picture it in your hand; and presto! Here, try it with this." She tossed me an apple from the counter.

"Here goes nothing." I imagined putting the apple in a bag, and violá, it vanished in a blue light. "Whoa" I breathed. Now, to bring it out. I imagined holding the apple in the palm of my hand, and it materialised smoothly. "Cool! Thanks." I said, tossing the clerk back her apple.

"Call back any time;" She called after us as we left, taking a bite out of the apple.

 

            It was just Compa and myself when we got back to Planeptower. Neptune had split off from us to get some "Vital Supplies". I decided to put my new clothes away in my room. Once I had found a place for everything, I chose an black long-sleeved shirt with bright yellow stripes zigzagging across the chest and arms, and a pair of dark blue jeans, and went to take a shower. Coming up to the bathroom door, my hand froze inches from the doorhandle. I'm living with people now. More importantly, I'm living with girls now. I gave a quick rap on the door and waited for an answer. Nothing. Crisis averted, I headed inside. Under the stream of hot water, I scrubbed myself clean. I dried myself off and put my new clothes on, feeling refreshed.

 

            As soon as I stepped out of the shower, Neptune appeared in front of me in an even more upbeat mood than usual.

"Anon Anon Anon! Lookit!" She was waving a game in my face that had a familiar title of "Retaliate: Worldwide Mission". Presently Neptune grabbed my arm with a vice grip and dragged me into the living room. She pushed onto the sofa, then booted up the game, tossed me a spare controller, and jumped in beside me. When asked to create online handles, Neptune went with "Pudding#1". No surprises there. Thinking about it, I went with an old name; "Renmas". From there, we jumped straight into a match. From what I could tell, The game was very much like it's real-world counterpart, except that the camera was in thirdperson. The match was in a heavy stalemate when we joined, and us two didn't make much difference. Still, it was pretty fun. We played for what felt like hours, with players joining and leaving all the while.

 

            Suddenly, a player called "†Green_Heart†" joined our team. It became apparent very quickly that they were very skilled. They also had a mic, although they were using a voice changer for some reason. Under †Green_Heart†'s command, we were able to win the match. Our celebration was cut short however.

"Neptune!" Someone shouted from somewhere in Planeptower. Neptune froze. She turned the console off and dove behind the sofa, then pulled me behind it after her.

"Just what on earth-" I started before she covered my mouth and gave a quick "Shhh!" She looked genuinely afraid. Geez, the poor girl's even shaking. I brought my arms round her to steady her. She's probably expecting Histoire to fly in any second.

"If Histoire comes through that door, I'll take the blame;" I offered.

"R-Really?" She looked at me with hopeful eyes.

"Really."

            Hearing footsteps coming this way, we peeked out over the top of the sofa. Thankfully it was only IF.

"Ah, there you are, Anon. Ready start your training?"

"Yeah, just lemme grab a jacket." I took an indigo coloured zip-up hoodie from my room. No point doing it up since there's only a slight breeze today. As I was coming back I heard IF say "Oh, Neptune, Histoire was looking for you."

All that came from Neptune was a noise that could be likened to a death rattle. "A-Anon...?" she stammered.

"Sorry, Neptune. I'll owe it to you, I promise;" Was all I could say as we stepped into the elevator.

 

            "Will she be alright? I mean, Histoire's rants aren't all that bad are they?" I asked as we walked to the guild

"I haven't been on the receiving end of one myself, but sometimes I think I can hear her even when I'm out at the Zeca Ruins. Even Nepgear dreads Histoire on the rare times she angers her." Is she a fairy or a demon?! I started to regret my promise to take the proverbial bullet for Neptune when we reached the guild building.

            "Anyone can take on, add, take on, and accept rewards for, any quest that's active in the guild;" IF explained as we walked through the building. There was quite a number of people chatting and looking up quests. Being a Guild member means you and I have larger responsibilities. That means we conduct missions that come direct from Histoire, perform espionage and recon on criminal organisations, and we're part of the forefront of any battle. Don't worry, we haven't ever been in a proper war. The Guild pays pretty well too. And it provides weapons, training grounds and equipment, and Disc Development for all members. We even have a pretty nice dental plan too." She said hello to a clerk at the counter and led me behind the counter, and through a door.

 

            We entered a very large, very warm room. The far side of the room was dominated by a furnace-which was also the main source of light in the room-and workbenches. The sole person in the room was a slender young man about my age. His shoulder-length jet-black hair was brushed over one eye, except for one curl that seemed to defy any logic or comb and stuck up in the middle of his head. It bounced as he moved his head around to look at us, making it look like it had a mind of its own.

"Yo, Iffy;" He called out when his calm grey eyes spotted us. "I take it you're the new fella? Name's Isin. I'm the apprentice blacksmith to the Guild." He held out a hand encased in a thick, fireproof glove. I shook it firmly and gave my name.

"Is Alice around?" IF asked.

"Right behind ya;" came a voice.

 

            Alice was the forgemaster. A stocky, well-built woman with long curly hair as bright orange as the furnace flames, her brilliant green eyes had the spark of someone who had found their passion in life.

"So you're Anon are ya? Let's get you armed then. Lemme take a closer look at you". She walked around me, taking in my general body shape, she asked me which hand I was my strongest, after told her it was my left, she held my left arm out at length, measured it's length, and the size of my hand, then did the same to the right. Finally, she stepped back and looked deep in thought. Suddenly she snapped her fingers and exclaimed "I know just the thing!" before Heading through a door marked "Weapon Storage". Seconds later she returned holding what looked like a shortsword in its scabbard.

 

            Alice unsheathed it, and made it apparent that it was in fact two separate, identical swords. The blades were about the same length as my forearms, and the grips were around a third of that length. They had a simple, solid handguard that extended up to the crossguard, and behind the blade was a sai-esque hook.

"Butterfly swords;" she called them. "Light, and speedy they are. Not as heavy as yer Qatars, Iffy, but so heavy-hitting either. See here;" She pointed to the midpoint of the blade and down to the crossguard. "The lower half of the blades are blunt, to help with blocking. Or, if you feel like going non-lethal, you can use the blunted edge or the handguard to knock yer opponent out. The top half of the blade is sharpened, though you'll want to do a bit more slashin' than stabbin'. This hook here at the back lets you catch an enemy's weapon if they're not too bright. All in all, I think you'll get along with this pair o' twins very well."

 

            Alice gave the swords a twirl, and sheathed them. She handed me the swords and a training pair, as we headed out the door to the training yard. I examined the blades as we walked across the field full of guild members practising with a wide variety of weapons and magic. They were rather light. Twirling them slowly and watching them catch the light of the sun and reflect my face, IF's face, who was also looking at my new equipment, on the left blade...and someone else's face on the right. Looking to my right there's indeed a person there.

 

           Jumping back slightly, I saw bright blue eyes and matching hair under a black witch hat. The Mad Magician gave a small chuckle.

"Sorry for the scare." A pleasant smile danced across her lips, and her tone of voice sounded sincere.

"Oh! MAGES.! What perfect timing, I was wondering where you were;" IF said

"Hmhmhm! A magician always appears when they're needed, and not a moment too soon;" She turned to me. "So you must be Anon, I am MAGES., the Mad Magician." With a flourish, she offered her to shake hands

 

            As we shook hands, MAGES.' grip tightened and a there was a gleam in her eyes. Without warning, she threw her head back gave a loud laugh. "So you're the dimensional traveller I detected? Who would have guessed that those brown eyes of yours hid otherworldly knowledge?" She finally let go of my hand, then she came closer-too close. "So tell me about your dimension! Does the Organization have any influence there? Is there Doc P in your dimension?"

 

            It's not that I don't mind my personal space being invaded. That I can be okay with. But taking such an intense stare at point blank range was a bit much for me to handle. Taking a small step back, I answered. "As far as I know, The, uh, Organization as you know it isn't involved with my dimension. And yes, Doc P is in my dimension, in fact it's a pretty popular drink."

"An entire world untouched by the Organization?!" She gasped; "This is miraculous! Wonderful! What's more, you’ve got good potential with magic. I can see you and I getting very close, boy." As if to emphasise the last sentence, she came even closer.

 

            There were centimetres between us when IF came to the rescue. "Okay, MAGES., Let's not frighten off from the training on day 1. After that it was decided that we would start combat training first. "And what better way to train than to spar?" IF said as she took a pair of blunted training qatar out of hammerspace. "Get yourself ready." I sheathed the butterfly swords and took out their training counterparts. MAGES. Sat herself down on the grass, crossed her legs, and watched.

"Ready." I'm not sure if I'm ready. Without further ado IF rushed me.

 

            Dodging the first strike, I took the second on my left shoulder before barely blocking the third hit. Despite the fact she was obviously holding back, I was barely able to keep up with IF. But eventually, I found a kind of rhythm: Staying on my toes allowed to me avoid a hit easier, using my weaker right hand to mainly block wasn't a bad idea, not that I could block much anyway. After some time, IF decided to stop.

 

            "Not bad for your first fight” she said, sitting down on the grass. Checking my watch, I was surprised that we had been sparring for nearly two hours. Falling back onto the ground, I knew I would be stiff and covered in bruises in the morning; though I was happy I could at least give back some of the punishment I took. MAGES. stood up and walked over to me till she was standing right over me.

"Normally, it would take a full day for someone to learn magic and to learn what element they have an affinity with. But instead, We'll bypass that. Take my hand, boy.” I reached up and MAGES. took my outstretched hand. All of a sudden I felt something like a strong static shock run through my body.

"Hmm, interesting, very interesting.” MAGES. mused, pulling me up on my feet. We moved over to an empty space in a nearby target range.

"Focus on the target,boy;" MAGES. instructed, pointing with her staff at the straw mannequin some feet in front of us. "Then focus your energy into your hand and point at it."

 

            I stood with my legs shoulder width apart. I wasn't sure what she meant about focusing my energy, but I threw my hand up in front of me towards the mannequin. All of a sudden, a brilliant blue bolt of electricity erupted from my hand and hit the target.

"Hmhmhm. Excellent;" MAGES. chuckled. "A lightning mage. And a promising one at that. However, try positioning yourself like so and try again." We went through a short series of poses and manoeuvres for the lightning bolt spell. I couldn't really tell the difference between them, but both girls seemed to see something different on each one. After the way I cast it was decided on (Quickly pointing my index and middle finger at the target.), IF said "While the spell itself isn't something particularly special, it's a low cost mana-wise. Should come in handy."

 

            We spent most of the evening practising spells and combat until the sun started to set. For next few days, I spent the majority of my time in the Guild's training yard. It's not like I had much of a choice, most everyone else was busy preparing for the dinner party. I didn't really feel like getting in everyone's way at the Basilicom, anyways. IF and MAGES. usually appeared a couple times during the day to talk, train, and spar. I even up making a few acquaintances out of other guild members down there. By the end of it, I had perfected the lightning spell I had learned, which I decided to call Thundercrack., it now and it felt like I was somewhat of a challenge against IF. I had also learnt a buffing spell that MAGES. called "Acceleration". In her words, it "swept a gust behind my feet, giving me the fleet movement that even the gods would envy".

 

            Until, the day of the dinner party arrived. Histoire had me running errands and arranging tables in the dining hall on the ground floor of the Basilicom while the girls got themselves ready for the evening. As the evening drew closer, it was decided that Rom and Ram were not to go.

"Aww, why not?!" they complained in unison.

"Do you really want to go to a boring dinner filled with boring adults?" Blanc chided them. "Besides, Anon will be here to mind you."

"Yeah-wait. I will?" Thinking about it, it made sense. Having some rather important people see a guy who, for all intents and purposes, was a complete nobody getting chatty with the goddesses could cause quite a stir. Still, I couldn't help but feel a little left out.

"Don't worry;" The now transformed Purple Heart said as she combed her hair. "Iffy will help you look after them."

"Yeah-wait. I will?"

 

            The decision seemed unanimous among the group despite any protests, and before long, it was just the four of us in the room. We moved out to the very impressive balcony that Planeptower had. From there, we could see the very stately cars filing in and the formally-dressed dinner guests milling about and walking inside. Rom and Ram had the sulkiest expressions I have ever seen. Eventually, I couldn't take their brooding any longer.

"How about we go for a wander outside?"

They perked up at that.

"Where to?" Ram asked.

"I've got an itch to investigate the forest over there." I pointed over towards the dark-green mass near Planeptower that was now stained with orange from the evening sun.

"I dunno;" IF said. "It could get dangerous, there are quite a few nocturnal monsters in that forest"

"We'll be okay..."

"Yeah, we're CPU Candidates! We can look after ourselves."

IF gave a questioning look, but gave in "Alright. But this is a secret."

 

            We wandered through the trees as the shadows gradually grew longer. Rom and Ram had conjured up some magical balls of light and were playing with them and conducting them using their wands. I had my butterfly swords in their sheath at my hip. It would probably be easier to carry them in hammerspace, but it was reassuring feeling them there as we walked.

IF seemed a little on edge. "Hmm, we haven't seen a single monster out here..."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" I replied

"Maybe...When there piranhas are gone, it usually means there's a shark nearby."

Taking note of her rather ominous statement, we continued on.

 

            As if on cue, when we came to the edge of the next clearing, there were two figures standing in the middle, on a small hill that gave them a view of the city. They were facing the city. I could faintly here them chatter, but I couldn't tell what they were saying, or even who they might be. One of them was significantly taller than the other, and both were wearing black hooded cloaks that obscured their faces, they would be invisible if it was not for the glow of the city. Straight away, IF brought the twins close, and motioned us to sneak around the edge of the clearing to get behind them.

"Any idea who these two are?" I whispered.

"We wouldn't be sneaking if I knew them would we?"

Good point. Looking closer, I noticed that these two were armed. The taller one had a shortsword in their right hand, the shorter one had a rifle slung over their back.

 

            The plan was to ambush them. We were to subdue them and reveal their identity. This was to be my first real fight. IF would go with Rom and take the gunner, Ram and I were to take the swordsman.

Unsheathing my butterfly swords, I muttered "Acceleration". I felt the familiar sensation that came with the spell. It was similar to an adrenaline rush, but allowed you to have a normal adrenaline rush on top of it. The twins had applied all the buffs they had to us. IF Counted down from three on her fingers.

"Now!"

 

We erupted from the brush with a cry. Rushing up the hill, IF reached her target, took a slash, which was narrowly avoided. She was pushing the gunner back to the far side of the clearing with Rom in tow. Meanwhile I had come up to the swordsman. I went to bring both blades down on them, but they blocked the blow just in time. Pushing off the swordsman, I stepped back to allow Ram to take potshots with magic. Brilliant explosions of elemental magic hit their target. Despite that, the swordsman was still able to dodge or block my attacks. All of a sudden they went on the offensive. On her first attack I took a cut across the arm, her second I just glanced off my right sword. She over extended on the third one, allowing to get a little payback.

 

            As the fight wore on, it was clear I was losing ground. They were faster, stronger, and a damn sight more agile. Ram was getting tired too, her magic was not quite so on target anymore. It was quite obvious that our only advantage was the element of surprise, and that's worn off. I could still hear the gunner's rifle going off, and every so often a blast of Magic from Rom would illuminate IF and her opponent. I couldn't tell how her fight was going from here. I was almost purely defending now. I just have one last thing to try. I feinted an attack on the swordsman's right, then rolled left. I sheathed the left blade, and grabbed hold of their left arm.

"Thundercrack!"

 

            The swordsman gave a shout. A girl's voice. She shuddered as electricity shot through her body. In the convulsions her hood went down. Long black hair... Bright red eyes...

"Noire?!" Ram shouted in disbelief.

"Just who on earth do you-Eh?! Ram?! What are you doing with this man? Get away from him!"

"Anon! Ram! You're never gonna believe who the gunner was!" IF called out. She and Rom came into sight with a very sorry-looking Uni between them.

"IF? Rom?" Noire's anger briefly changed to questioning, then upgraded to outrage. "Don't tell me you're using mind control you-"

"Easy Noire, easy;" IF caught the back of her hood.

 

            With explanation done and introductions made, we sat on the grass, tending to our wounds as the last of the sunlight disappeared.

"I have to admit, you pretty good." Noire said. "Of course I would have won if you hadn't pulled that dirty trick"

"All's fair in love and war."

"L-love?! I-I.." Her face went an alarming shade of red.

"What? No. No. It's just a saying!"

"We've explained ourselves;" IF said, defusing the situation. "Now it's your turn, why are Lastation's CPUs sneaking around Planeptune?"

"No point in hiding it. We had heard that there was going to be some sort of trade going on between Planeptune and Lowee and we kind of, wanted to check out what it's about. But we've been caught." She raised her hands and nudged Uni to do the same. "I guess you should just let us go back to Lastation instead of reporting us to any authorities or anything."

There was a gleam in IF's eye. "Oh, I'll report you to the authorities alright. The highest authority in the country!"

You could almost hear the gears whirring in their heads.

"Hey! Wait you don't mean.." They exclaimed in perfect unison. Before they could do anything, the twins and I copped onto IF's plan, and grabbed hold of their arms. We made our way towards Planeptower.


End file.
